At the present time, our wages are absolutely not sufficient for our livelihood. While every manager or higher ranking authority is getting paid wages over $1,300 or $2,500, and while they have other incomes and assets, our minimum wage has been set at $130 per month. This is happening at a time when it is impossible to live with a pay of less than $1,300. From our exploitation a few parasites are becoming millionaires, while we are unable even to send our children to elementary school. The current minimum wage is one third of the declared official poverty line. We demand a comfortable livelihood which would match today’s human standard. No one deserves the life we have.

   We as workers, teachers, nurses, contract or permanent, male or female, employed or unemployed, all over the country declare that a humane and better livelihood is our right. Proper food, proper clothing, decent housing, a high standard of healthcare, and time for relaxation and leisure is our right; we declare that to obtain this standard, wages must be at least $1,300 per month. Nonetheless, while we are striving to obtain fair wages, we demand that, as the first step, the minimum wage should be at least $550, which, according to official figures, is the level that must be reached for anyone to have a bare-minimum subsistence. We demand that wages of less than that be immediately declared illegal. This minimum wage should cover all wage-earners, be they in contract work or in a permanent position, including teachers and nurses.

   We declare that we should not tolerate these inhumane living conditions, and to reach this fair and just demand, we call upon all fair-minded and honorable people in Iran and all workers’ organizations all over the world to support our demand.

March 2005